We made it home. I was a raging b*tch from the moment we left the safety of the hospital room until we arrived home, and maybe for a few more minutes after that. Taking your infant out of that safe haven is scary, no matter how many times you've done it. Not being able to carry her out of the hospital because of surgery means my poor husband's every move was monitored and critiqued. He probably wanted to turn around and tell me to go to hell a few times, but he was pretty patient.
Holy crap. Four kids is no joke. Four kids is not "just adding one to the pile" the way three kids was, and three kids was probably only like that because my two were older and self-sufficient. On our first day home I watched as it took 3 adults; me, my mother-in-law, and the Sailor, to cover all of the bases. Admittedly, all I'm doing is caring for Margo, and even then I've handed her off at 4 AM to my mother-in-law so that I could tend to Anna. I'll slowly start taking back responsibilities as each day goes by. We're on a tight schedule to reach full independence, because the Sailor leaves soon.
The kids love the new baby. The twins are busy with their own schedule, and she's still so little that their interaction is limited, but they gush over her and think she's adorable. Anna is more attentive to her. It's been all positive so far. She's shown a few signs of jealousy, but it was more about the fact that I can't pick her up and am preoccupied. I broke down more than once the first 24 hours trying to figure out how I'll be able to give Anna what she needs, and this newborn, and the twins! I think I'll feel more confident when my body is closer to 100%, but right now it still hurts just standing up and walking around.
Intimidation aside, I like the idea of having four kids. I'm trying to picture us all six months from now, and it's comforting and exciting. I know this scary time is temporary, and I'll find a way through it. Having more kids has made me fall deeper in love with my older children. My respect and appreciation for the twins grows when I see how they handle this change, and show love to their little sisters. And it melts my heart to see Anna worry about why Margo is crying, and give her an impromptu kiss to make it better. Margo is similar to Anna in behavior and schedule so far, but it's still early. Every evening I pray that she fall into the same wonderful rhythm that Anna did.
So, for now we're just getting through each 24 hour period. Friends and family have brought us food, my mother-in-law is cooking, cleaning, and playing with all of the kids. I'm cuddling Margo and slowly getting to the point where I can put her in the swing and walk away. Sometimes I'm reluctant to accept help, but that's quickly changing. When people offer now, I accept and am not shy in telling them what I need.
Breastfeeding
Ugh. It's a work in progress. If it weren't for my sister-in-law being my personal lactation consultant, I'd have given up by now. Being able to text her at 7 AM and 10:30 PM about dripping nipples, or my pumping schedule is the only thing getting me through each day. Right before I typed this out though, I was able to breastfeed until she fell asleep without supplementing with a bottle, for the first time since we came home. That little success was a breath of fresh air!
Holy crap. Four kids is no joke. Four kids is not "just adding one to the pile" the way three kids was, and three kids was probably only like that because my two were older and self-sufficient. On our first day home I watched as it took 3 adults; me, my mother-in-law, and the Sailor, to cover all of the bases. Admittedly, all I'm doing is caring for Margo, and even then I've handed her off at 4 AM to my mother-in-law so that I could tend to Anna. I'll slowly start taking back responsibilities as each day goes by. We're on a tight schedule to reach full independence, because the Sailor leaves soon.
The kids love the new baby. The twins are busy with their own schedule, and she's still so little that their interaction is limited, but they gush over her and think she's adorable. Anna is more attentive to her. It's been all positive so far. She's shown a few signs of jealousy, but it was more about the fact that I can't pick her up and am preoccupied. I broke down more than once the first 24 hours trying to figure out how I'll be able to give Anna what she needs, and this newborn, and the twins! I think I'll feel more confident when my body is closer to 100%, but right now it still hurts just standing up and walking around.
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| Grandma and all of the little girls |
So, for now we're just getting through each 24 hour period. Friends and family have brought us food, my mother-in-law is cooking, cleaning, and playing with all of the kids. I'm cuddling Margo and slowly getting to the point where I can put her in the swing and walk away. Sometimes I'm reluctant to accept help, but that's quickly changing. When people offer now, I accept and am not shy in telling them what I need.
Breastfeeding
Ugh. It's a work in progress. If it weren't for my sister-in-law being my personal lactation consultant, I'd have given up by now. Being able to text her at 7 AM and 10:30 PM about dripping nipples, or my pumping schedule is the only thing getting me through each day. Right before I typed this out though, I was able to breastfeed until she fell asleep without supplementing with a bottle, for the first time since we came home. That little success was a breath of fresh air!
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| Anna is still bottomless most of the day...potty training, oi. |
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5 comments:
Margo is so very beautiful!I love all of the pictures especially the picture with Mrs.O! Brought a big smile to my face! Such a beautiful picture and beautiful smiles!
Congrats on your new baby girl! Your girls are all beautiful! I have 1 year old twin girls and they keep me busy! I can't imagine 4 :)
Kathryn
Makes me want another baby! My parents had four girls, including a set of the twins (the youngest two.) If I were a more patient person, I would go for four as well :) I know it's still early, but in your opinion do you like having more space between the siblings, or closer in age?
She is beautiful!
It's hard to say, because having twins is such a blessing now that they're older. I love that they have each other for support and fun. For that reason, I like that Anna will have a sister close in age as well. That being said, I like the larger gap between kids, because it's just so much easier handling a baby when your other children are self sufficient. If I could plan my children, I'd do 3 years between each.
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